I sit excitedly in the slightly sticky Lewisville Cinemark Luxury Lounger, equipped with a fruit punch Hi-C and buttery popcorn. I’m not sure what to expect in The Invitation, but as the film begins I am immediately pulled into the fictional life of lively, curly-haired Evelyn “Evie” Jackson (Nathalie Emmanuel). 

Jackson is introduced as a waitress working for high-end catering companies. After the recent death of her mother, she decides to take a DNA test out of loneliness. The test reveals that she has family in England. Jackson is then messaged by her eager and kind cousin, Oliver Alexander (Hugh Skinner). 

Alexander informs Jackson of Emmaline Alexander, who was her great-grandmother. While engaged, Emmaline had an affair with a Black footman and had a secret child. Alexander then invites Jackson to a wedding in England so she can meet the rest of the family. 

Alexander’s overtly positive and over-endearing personality immediately sets off alarms in my head. Upon meeting Jackson, he grabs her hand across the table several times and seems too eager to speak to a long-lost cousin he has only just met.

The film spells out stranger danger in the modern day, complete with technology and an overly involved best friend. She warns Jackson of all that could possibly go wrong, even imploring that Jackson does not trust anyone with a goatee. 

Jackson is greeted at the airport by servants and arrives at the sprawling estate in the English countryside. Suddenly, a deep and handsome voice booms in the theater. Walt DeVille (Thomas Doherty) is introduced. 

As soon as the camera pans to DeVille’s face, his purpose in the film is clear. He welcomes Jackson to his estate with a cheeky smile and a chiseled jawline before walking off mysteriously, leaving more to be desired. Jackson is introduced to other members of the estate, such as the tall and beautiful Viktoria and the childlike Lucy. 

Mrs. Swift, the long-term maid of the estate, brings Jackson to her room and warns of shrikes, carnivorous birds that impale their prey. The windows are barred off, creating a sense of uneasiness. The castle itself has a gothic tone, with blue lighting, creepy artworks and statues. The aesthetics of the grand estate are enviable, with Jackson’s room consisting of silken mauve bed sheets and a four-poster queen size bed. 

As the film progresses, maids are assigned to different tasks and each begins to disappear by anonymous shadowy figures. Jackson has horrific nightmares of shadowy figures and visions of Emmaline Alexander. Although close with her overly involved best friend at first, Jackson begins to contact her less and less due to her relationship with Walt DeVille growing stronger. 

DeVille seems like the dream man for Jackson. He pulls her from a crowd of girls to share a dance. He’s rich, charismatic and thoughtful, often surprising Jackson with grand gestures and romantic cliches, such as fireworks as they share their first kiss. He even pulls off the misunderstood trope.

Jackson begins to fall head over heels with DeVille as he comforts her when she is terrorized by the shadowy figures. But after she  grows weary of the danger  and decides to investigate in the library, where she previously was forbidden to go, she  finds deeply personal information about herself and decides it’s no longer safe for her at the estate. 

DeVille convinces her to stay, however, and Jackson is content. At the wedding, she wears a beautiful red gown to the masquerade dinner, excited to meet the bride and groom. In a surprising turn of events, DeVille announces that he and Jackson will be the ones getting married. Jackson spots men with goatees at the table. Suddenly, a maid is grabbed and her throat is slit. 

Surprise! DeVille and all of the other guests are vampires. 

Although slightly jarring, the film fails to perform in the horror category as cheap jumpscares were interwoven with a subpar romance plot. DeVille’s objectively good looks were over-emphasized and used as a way to barter with a disinterested audience. 

In the last 20 minutes of the film, the plot resembles more of a comedy than horror/romance. Jackson attempts to flee from DeVille, but is brought back to the castle after failing to fight off an elderly couple. During the wedding, Jackson drinks DeVille’s blood as part of the ritual to turn half-vampire, then proceeds to burn down a church. In several unimpressive and anti-climatic fight sequences, Jackson defeats Viktoria, Lucy and eventually DeVille. As DeVille burns in the church fire, Jackson’s vampire features dissipate. 

In the final scenes of the film, Jackson returns to seek revenge on cousin Alexander, with a new short haircut and her best friend. The film is abruptly cut short, leaving more closure to be desired. 

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